174 DATEGROWING 



necessary to make a success of any other business, he 

 should make a success of growing dates. His profits 

 will depend first on the size of the crop, and second 

 on the price which he receives for it. 



As to the first, the usual estimate in the United 

 States is 100 pounds for each adult palm, per year. 

 For most varieties, including Deglet Ntir and other 

 dessert dates, I believe this is a conservative estimate. 

 Let us check it up by the experience of other people, 

 bearing in mind that a palm should yield more in 

 the United States than it would in another country, 

 because it should get better care. 



The Algerian government estimates* the annual 

 production of a Deglet Nur palm at 40 kg., or 88 

 pounds, but declares that this is probably an under- 

 estimate. As Deglet Nur regularly bears more 

 heavily with us than it does in its original home, 

 100 pounds seems a reasonable estimate here. Most 

 of the North African varieties bear more heavily 

 than this. For Tunis, Masselotf considers Luzi to be 

 the shyest bearer, with an annual yield of 55 pounds, 

 and Rishti and Hamraya the heaviest, at 220 pounds 

 each. The average of 92 varieties which he has in- 

 vestigated is 116.5 pounds per tree. 



In Egypt, the English estimate a yield of 172 

 pounds per tree, J and yet the trees are set much 

 closer together than in the United States.* Egyptian 

 varieties bear more heavily than those of some other 



*Les Dattes en Alfterie — Supplement au No. 6 du Bulletin de 

 rOffice du gvt. genl. de I'Algerie, 1910, p. 81. 



jBul. Direc. Agric. et Comm., Tunis, vol. VI, No. 19, Apr., 1901. 



tSir H. Rider Haggard, "An Egyptian Date Farm." London 

 Times, Oct. 11, 1912. 



■•■At the great Pj'ramids Estates near Gizeh they are set twenty- 

 two teet apart or eighty-seven to the feddan, or acre. 



